April browser share numbers from Net Applications show a continuation from the same story we've seen over the last two years:

Google's Chrome and Firefox are gaining lots of share

Apple's Safari is gaining a tiny bit of share

Microsoft's Internet Explorer is falling out of bed

The IE losses and Firefox gains are an old story. Microsoft shows no signs of staunching the bleed.

The more important story here is potentially that Google's Chrome is gaining share much faster than Apple's Safari. This highlights the power of Google's "open source" software model, as compared to Apple's integrated hardware-software combo. The software versus hardware/software model, of course, is what doomed Apple in its first battle to the near-death (against Microsoft). So it's worth watching this one closely.

Here are the numbers from Net Applications. Check out that steady Chrome gain. Check out how paltry the Safari gains have been despite the proliferation of Apple devices. (Click for larger)